The 2010’s have been busy. A Public Commission in progress for Austin Art in Public Places. It should be installed in a year or so. Here is a little about it.
“Belting it Out” Lady Bird Lake Boardwalk Trail Proposal, Austin, Texas
Musicians and songwriters, their music and song have been a huge part of Texas culture and history. Austin has a particularly strong reputation as a music community with long and strong musical traditions. This music can tell a story, teach history, and paint pictures of Texas in our imaginations. Kinesthetically these songs, word poems, and the music all trigger images, sounds, and memories in both our personal and collective imaginations.
I propose to capture some of that history in the form of traditional western belts in cast in bronze. The style of belt that I will reference typically displays the owner’s name across the back in text. I will display the lyrics on the belts to be both read either in English or Spanish depending on the song. In order to fit some of these lyrics on the belts, I will need to use the lyrics in fragments or short pieces. So I will be creating a series of a musical “haikus”. Anyone with knowledge to this musical history will, through reading the text on the belts, conjure up the rest of the lyrics, melody, and music, and will be effectively recreating the songs in their imagination.
There will be 40 belts. All of the belts will be lifesized or about 48” long. They will be made to have a low profile and be relatively smooth, avoid dramatic bumps, and maintain user comfort and along the railing. The bronze will develop a polished look, age nicely and become handsome with use over time. The nature of the material will allow these objects to remain relatively intact for at least 100 years and be easy to maintain. The belts will create a very small visual profile on the Boardwalk Trail. But due to their placement to the hands of the user they will be very interactive and have a strong impact generating a Texas melody in the visitors’ imaginations.
